Official proposes state burst bubble on multiple choice

LOS ANGELES - California's students may be filling in fewer bubbles on multiple choice standardized tests in the future and writing longer answers instead.

Christina Hoag

LOS ANGELES - California's students may be filling in fewer bubbles on multiple choice standardized tests in the future and writing longer answers instead.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson unveiled a set of proposals Tuesday to rewrite the state's battery of standardized tests that students take every spring to measure achievement in English-language arts and math, readiness to graduate from high school, and subjects such as science.

"Multiple choice, fill-in-the-bubble tests alone simply cannot do the job anymore, and it's time for California to move forward with assessments that measure the real-world skills our students need to be ready for a career and for college," Torlakson said.

Instead of multiple choice bubbles, the new tests will emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving skills and require deeper, more extended responses, he said. The new exams will be largely administered and scored by computer, but some will require scoring by hand.

Torlakson's report will be submitted to the state Legislature, which must approve the new design and issue guidelines before education officials can start rewriting the tests. The new exams are slated to debut in the 2014-15 school year.

Stockton Unified Superintendent Steve Lowder said reducing or eliminating testing that involves students filling in bubbles is a step in the right direction.

But he said developing new and improved testing methods is only one part of the challenge of preparing to implement the Common Core State Standards that were adopted by California in 2010.

The new standards, scheduled to take effect in 2014-15, have been adopted by 45 states and have been designed to try to help American students close what educators say is a growing achievement gap between themselves and their peers in many other industrialized nations.

"It's just not so simple," Lowder said of the recommended testing changes. "If we're basing testing on the new Common Core assessments, which is great, ... teachers don't really know what the standards are yet."

Stockton Unified started work late in 2012 to prepare staff for the major changes that are coming.

"Many of us are in the process of rigorous curriculum design, having teachers target the new standards," Lowder said. "We're just beginning that process."

Lodi Unified Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer did not express opposition to the new testing. She does think all state and federal testing should be suspended for a year. Torlakson's plan seeks a suspension of only non-federally mandated testing.

"My opinion is that it all needs to be suspended at both the state and federal levels to give districts a little time to prepare for Smarter Balanced Assessment, which is a very different type of test in terms of format, content, strategies, and logistics," Nichols-Washer said in an e-mail.

Manteca Unified Superintendent Jason Messer called the Smarter Balance testing system "more appropriate" than the current STAR tests. Manteca Unified schools have been piloting the new system for several months.

"It's an appropriate direction. The challenge is going to be money and educating the public in that we can't compare the new testing to the old testing because it's a different assessment," Messer said.

Messer said he also foresees an adjustment period for teachers, students and parents but is ultimately in favor of the new tests.

The report, which contains 12 recommendations, is the culmination of a yearlong project that lawmakers ordered last year as school districts phase in national curriculum standards, known as Common Core State Standards. The new curriculum aims to develop students' analytical skills over rote memorization and involves developing new assessment methods to measure those skills.

A task force met around the state for six months last year and presented a series of recommendations to Torlakson in the fall.

David Rattray, senior vice president of education and work force development at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, said the new direction of testing is promising.

"Employers are looking for problem-solving, a deeper understanding of knowledge to put it to work," Rattray said. "What works for students, works for business."

Testing results are used largely to judge how well schools are doing their job and are a key factor in a school's so-called "academic performance index," a ranking that enables parents and the community to easily compare schools.

Deputy Superintendent Deb Sigman said that the computerized system will also speed up delivery of results with the goal of getting them to teachers so they can see where students need extra help while they are still in school. Currently, test results are delivered in mid to late summer.

Sigman also said that by emphasizing more creative, thinking responses on tests, teachers will gain more latitude in their curriculums instead of merely "teaching to the test."

"This will give teachers their autonomy back," she said.

Torlakson said some standardized tests will be suspended next year as the new tests are introduced. Those include second-grade tests and end-of-year finals in non-core subjects in high schools.

Record staff writers Roger Phillips and Keith Reid contributed to this report.